Tonight the Lehrer News Hour had a segment on Twitter and Tweets, and the questionable value of twittering (What can one say in 140 characters?) and the general proliferation of social networking online. I don't "tweet," and I don't have Facebook, but i thought I would use some short blog entries (not probably under the 140 character limit) to "blast off" on some recent topics of concern. I am, simultaneously, watching/listening to the President's "news conference." I will use this as the subject of my first "blog-tweet."
On Presidential Press Conferences: In the good old days, the news reporters stood and yelled to be recognized. That was a "real" press conference, where the White House didn't know ahead of time approximately what would be asked. This is a "fake" press conference, where the White House establishes the list of reporters who will be called on, and, you'd better believe, they have also ascertained what questions will be asked. (Ha! Someone just subverted the system and asked a question out of turn!!) Yay, you go, press people.
On the Sonia Sotomayor confirmation: Senator John Kyl of Arizona stated today that he is concerned that Judge Sotomayor may not be able to leave her personal biases behind (i.e. her background as a Latina woman) and therefore he will vote against her confirmation. Did he ever wonder if the white male candidates whom he voted to confirm were able to leave their personal biases behind (i.e. their privileges as a white, upper middle class man) when they reached the bench? I doubt it.
On the arrest of Henry Louis Gates in his home in Cambridge, MA: Unbelievable.
On the Senate voting against the F-22 fighter jet amendment: Amazing! Finally a vote against something which even the Pentagon didn't want. Even Senator Gregg voted against this plane which apparently is obsolete and has experienced huge cost overruns. Definitely a victory for the voices of reason in an irrational world. (see above entry).
On the anti-abortion groups who are lobbying to make sure there is a provision in the health care legislation which will specifically state that any government-sponsored health care insurance will not pay for abortions: Who should decide which healthcare procedures should be paid for? Should birth control be covered? Viagra? Should my mother have blood drawn every two weeks? How anemic should she have to be before government-sponsored Medicare should pay for her to have a Procrit shot? Possibly the doctors are the people to make these decisions, not the government, and not the anti-anybodies.
On the weather: If I had wanted to live in a gray, drizzly climate, I would have moved to Seattle or Chautauqua. The rain forest is wearing a little thin.
On blog-tweets: It's clear why I don't "tweet" for real. I could never keep it to 140 characters or less.........
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
There are students and then . . . there are students
If you read an earlier post, you will discover that I have had to call the police to quell the drinking parties next door. Eventually, after calling a few times, I discovered that the guys next door are former students of mine. I don't know who is more distressed by that fact, them or me. A week ago tonight i called the police for the 5th time since June 6th, and there were 4 squad cars idling in the street from midnight to 1:30 a.m. as they rounded up kids, towed cars and arrested at least one of the boys living next door.
On Wednesday, a deputation of three of the young men arrived at my back door. I invited them in, and we sat in the living room discussing the situation. They apologized for having disturbed me so much this summer, and then they proceeded to suggest that 1) if I would stop calling the police, people wouldn't be running through my back yard (leaving flip flops in the mud and half empty cans of beer in the raised beds . . . ) and 2) If I would call them and not the police, they would "get everyone to "dial it down."
I suggested that their logic was a bit faulty. That if I were in their shoes, and being arrested because I was hosting all of Oyster River at underage drinking parties, I would change my behavior and stop the parties. They assured me they were "getting it under control," and that on Monday when I called the police, they had only invited 15 people to come over (plus the 4 of them) and REALLY, they had no idea i could hear them. Huh!
I pointed out that no one else in the neighborhood was up until 2 in the morning partying, and that since they had moved into the neighborhood, they were obliged to conform to the social, cultural and legal requirements of the neighborhood. Their eyes glazed over. They repeated their request that i call them instead of the police. They wrote their 3 cell phone numbers on a card and gave it to me. I said I'd try it once, and then I would call the police. So far, (knock wood) we have had a week of blessedly quiet nights. Even when I have seen 7 cars on the street. I am crossing my fingers.
Later that same Wednesday, I attended a reading and book signing at River Run Bookstore in Portsmouth. The reader: former Advanced Writing student Meg Frazer, out promoting her new novel. I had a great chat with her, and felt proud when she acknowledged me during her thank yous to various people who had helped her writing along the way. A friend of hers and another former student, Larissa Crockett was there with her 11 and 9 year old kids, and we had a great chat as well. She has just successfully run for the board of Selectpersons in her town and thinks she may want to be Governor of Maine one day. She told me of how she has had to defend her use of the word "selectperson" to older men who keep reminding her that she has run for the Board of Selectmen. We had a brief discussion about the importance of language in the area of women's rights.
While I was standing and eating bonbons after the reading, a young man came rushing in and greeted me warmly - you guessed it, another former student who saw me as he was walking by the store. We had a talk about what he has done since his graduation two years ago.
This morning I met with another student who has recently sent me her short stories to read. She has always been a great critic/reader of my work, and she's slogging her way through my novel as we speak. Another student who spent this past semester in New Zealand just emailed me and is returning to Durham and wants to get together.
So . . . thankfully, it's good students 5 to questionable students 3. I hold out hope for good students 8, questionable students 0.
On Wednesday, a deputation of three of the young men arrived at my back door. I invited them in, and we sat in the living room discussing the situation. They apologized for having disturbed me so much this summer, and then they proceeded to suggest that 1) if I would stop calling the police, people wouldn't be running through my back yard (leaving flip flops in the mud and half empty cans of beer in the raised beds . . . ) and 2) If I would call them and not the police, they would "get everyone to "dial it down."
I suggested that their logic was a bit faulty. That if I were in their shoes, and being arrested because I was hosting all of Oyster River at underage drinking parties, I would change my behavior and stop the parties. They assured me they were "getting it under control," and that on Monday when I called the police, they had only invited 15 people to come over (plus the 4 of them) and REALLY, they had no idea i could hear them. Huh!
I pointed out that no one else in the neighborhood was up until 2 in the morning partying, and that since they had moved into the neighborhood, they were obliged to conform to the social, cultural and legal requirements of the neighborhood. Their eyes glazed over. They repeated their request that i call them instead of the police. They wrote their 3 cell phone numbers on a card and gave it to me. I said I'd try it once, and then I would call the police. So far, (knock wood) we have had a week of blessedly quiet nights. Even when I have seen 7 cars on the street. I am crossing my fingers.
Later that same Wednesday, I attended a reading and book signing at River Run Bookstore in Portsmouth. The reader: former Advanced Writing student Meg Frazer, out promoting her new novel. I had a great chat with her, and felt proud when she acknowledged me during her thank yous to various people who had helped her writing along the way. A friend of hers and another former student, Larissa Crockett was there with her 11 and 9 year old kids, and we had a great chat as well. She has just successfully run for the board of Selectpersons in her town and thinks she may want to be Governor of Maine one day. She told me of how she has had to defend her use of the word "selectperson" to older men who keep reminding her that she has run for the Board of Selectmen. We had a brief discussion about the importance of language in the area of women's rights.
While I was standing and eating bonbons after the reading, a young man came rushing in and greeted me warmly - you guessed it, another former student who saw me as he was walking by the store. We had a talk about what he has done since his graduation two years ago.
This morning I met with another student who has recently sent me her short stories to read. She has always been a great critic/reader of my work, and she's slogging her way through my novel as we speak. Another student who spent this past semester in New Zealand just emailed me and is returning to Durham and wants to get together.
So . . . thankfully, it's good students 5 to questionable students 3. I hold out hope for good students 8, questionable students 0.
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